15 Tools Brands At Home Depot You May Have Never Heard Of

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Home Depot shelves carry such a dizzying array of products and brands. The outlet has been a staple in the home improvement landscape for virtually its entire existence, delivering admirably on its initial premise of pairing knowledgeable store associates who can guide you toward the equipment you need and offer pro tips. Home Depot's reputation precedes it, and so there are plenty of great tool brands and a wide selection of materials and accessories found within its walls that buyers will be intimately familiar with. Some of Home Depot's own-brand offerings include Husky, HD Supply, and even the eCommerce outlet Blinds.com. Home Depot also has exclusive brand deals with companies like Ryobi and Ridgid.

Yet, there are plenty of other brands that populate the shelves with far less visibility. Some of Home Depot's most useful products come from brands you might not immediately recognize. Sometimes these are offered in the form of layout and marking tools. Others are support elements that fit into niche categories. Regardless of the role they fulfill, these 15 tool brands are less prominent in many shoppers' minds but offer plenty of versatility from within the Home Depot catalog.

Skyshalo presents as a brand similar to that of Vevor, a toolmaker that offers plenty of nifty gadgets. It's worth noting that ToolGuyd recently reported that the two might actually be part of the same company. Skyshalo's primary offerings at Home Depot include mechanics' creepers, car and motorcycle lifts, and storage solutions. However, there are over 1,000 products from the brand available at the outlet, ranging far beyond workshop productivity needs. Skyshalo's equipment includes a gasoline-powered post hole digger, supporting heavy-duty outdoor landscaping requirements, as well as lifestyle enhancers like pool tables, clothing racks, and folding attic ladder units.

The brand also offers a wide range of commercial equipment to support business operations. Within this part of the catalog, the brand features things like folding chair racks that might be incredibly useful in an event hall facility or at a school, commercial refrigerators and other commercial kitchen items, and other gear like a heat press machine. From mechanic shop needs to office equipment and culinary prep solutions, Skyshalo is a wide-reaching tool and equipment maker found in abundance throughout the Home Depot retail environment.

Hand tools will always be a key asset for users. Across the spectrum of jobs, a selection of hand tools is always a welcome addition to a kit. Jonard Tools primarily operates in the hand tool market, but the brand also makes specialized equipment that's likely not on the radar of a typical DIYer or even professional contractors engaged in standard home renovation work. Jonard was founded in 1958 and is constantly working to improve its product range. The brand notes that it releases new tools "each month" and that its implements are "all made for life with lifetime warranties." This high bar makes them a potentially valuable investment for tool users who will be reaching for their equipment daily.

Specifically, Jonard Tools' products are designed to handle tasks within the electrical and utility arenas. They're purpose-built for telecom installations and repairs, as well as serving in a key support role for tool users working on security and alarm systems, and even home automation tasks. There are 48 tools from the brand available at Home Depot, including specialized cable strippers and fastener plungers, as well as more familiar options like an 11-piece insulated tool kit listed for $165.

Fein isn't a highly visible power tool maker, but it does offer plenty of important pieces of equipment. 35 products from the brand are available at Home Depot, with saw blades and multitool accessories included in this total. Tool users who know of the brand frequently consider it to be among those produced to high-quality, exacting standards. The brand hails from Germany, with a manufacturing history dating back to 1867. Some of its most prominent tools include a compact magnetic base drill and metal cutting circular saws.

The tool brand's specialized options are ideal for professional users who frequently encounter specific job requirements that standard power tools can't handle. Many of the tools in Fein's catalog won't come cheap; for instance, its magnetic drilling tool is listed at Home Depot for $1,580. Yet, for users seeking long-lasting equipment designed to support professional-level finish capabilities, it's often a useful choice.

As the name might suggest, Calculated Industries makes calculation tools. These range from implements that take on the form of the calculators that many people will be familiar with from their younger years, but other equipment is also included in the brand's presence at Home Depot (which includes 20 products). Some of its products include the Construction Master 5 calculator, featuring integrated measurement tools for calculating rise and run, stair dimensions, and weight requirements.

The brand also makes items such as electrical backbox marking guides, angle finders, and air shims. All of these support tools can help deliver greater focus and efficiency during a project, making installation less challenging and improving the accuracy of your measurements and calculations. The brand's products are relatively inexpensive, as well. Most of its calculators fall within the $20 to $50 range, and the support accessories are often priced below $20. The most expensive product  Home Depot carries is its digital rolling distance measurer, priced at $180.

Kiwi Vision is a brand that makes marking and layout tools. It features eight Morgan Squares at Home Depot, all of which are inspired by the classic aluminum carpenter's square. They come in a range of colors, with numerous high-visibility solutions that are just a little harder to lose on the jobsite, too. The squares feature in both 8- and 12-inch models, and all include a tape-measure clip with a centerline marking function.

These products are easy to overlook for those who don't need to make precise markups around the workspace. For basic home improvement projects and other maintenance tasks, this tool does not come to mind. Yet, professionals often demand tools like this to help in rough timber build stages or in tasks demanding accuracy, such as marking the starting line when laying hardwood floors or tile. These solutions are lightweight thanks to their aluminum bodies and offer plenty of functionality to make these precision measurement tasks a little easier.

Tekton is a brand and family-owned toolmaker based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and strives to make as much of its equipment as possible onsite at its Michigan premises. The brand reports that around 13% of its catalog is produced in the United States, with the bulk of gear imported from Taiwan. American-made products are also formulated with raw materials sourced primarily or entirely domestically. Most of the brand's offerings fall under the hand tool designation, with hammers and mallets, Allen keys, pliers, ratchets, and wrenches forming the core of its identity. A range of organizational storage solutions is also available from Tekton, allowing a fan of the brand to round out a fairly comprehensive collection of gear without straying from under the toolmaker's purview.

Home Depot is a crucial asset for anyone considering Tekton additions to their collection. The outlet stocks over 1,000 Tekton products, ranging from micrometer torque wrenches and individual extension sets to full-scale mechanics toolsets and comprehensive socket sets (like the 214-piece set with storage rails retailing at Home Depot for $666).

The Hilti name is perhaps one that many people familiar with the tool world will recognize, even if they've never seen a Hilti tool up close and personal. Hilti is a power tool brand that's focused on heavy-duty needs. The brand makes things like jackhammers, SDS drills, concrete saws, coring drills, and other similar tools. Most non-professional tool users will never need most of the tools that Hilti offers, and even plenty of trade pros won't require the intense capabilities of a Hilti solution. Plenty of tool users may have heard the term "Hilti drill" tossed around in casual conversation with the tradesmen they know, myself included. Indeed, Hilti, as a brand, is so closely associated with extreme power output that SDS drills are sometimes referred to in this manner, just as older tool users frequently call their circular saw a Skilsaw, even if it's from another brand.

The clear drawback of investing in Hilti equipment is the price. These tools are not for casual users, either in their build parameters, designed for the rigors of the jobsite, or in their cost. Even so, Home Depot carries 506 Hilti products (the most expensive individual unit being its 12-ton crimper, listed at $5,584).

One of the more unique and interesting brands carried by Home Depot, Ramset is a toolmaker that offers powder-actuated nail guns, essentially exchanging the battery or compressed air that underpins a nailer for the same propellent that sends bullets flying from genuine firearms. The powder that supports nail firing comes in strips individually designed for different uses, such as driving fasteners into concrete or wood. The brand also offers a range of nails and drive pins encased in specialized clips that operate seamlessly with the nailers.

Home Depot carries 35 Ramset products, including a variety of nailers that do, in fact, resemble a sort of overarching toy-pistol layout. This makes them an interesting tool to deploy when working through nail-related tasks in hardened material. Yet many tool users may not have known about this alternative to traditional pneumatic nailers and their newer, cordless battery-operated competitors.

Southwire hand tools go overlooked thanks to the prevalence of highly visible alternatives. There are dozens of toolmakers in many of the same subcategories that Southwire offers tools within, and so those who aren't in the know can easily pass the brand by while being drawn in by flashy marketing campaigns run by competing brands. However, overlooking Southwire is almost certainly a mistake. In 2023, Clint DeBoer at Pro Tool Reviews called the Southwire hi-leverage diagonal cutters the best the team had ever used.

Beyond its pliers and other standard hand tools, Southwire makes a range of pipe-bending implements, cable-pulling accessories, and heavy-duty cutting solutions. The brand's catalog also includes multimeters and other testing tools. Home Depot carries 80 Southwire products, including its ratcheting cable cutters and a wide array of temporary lighting solutions for use on jobsites and beyond. The brand is largely concentrated in the electrical and plumbing worlds, with its focus, so many home improvers will simply not be familiar with the somewhat niche toolmaker.

Wiha is a name ranked among the best German tool brands. It's a toolmaking company with a rich history, much like just about all of its contemporaries. Wiha is family-owned brand and makes a range of hand tools, frequently focusing on gear for electricians and others with similar needs.

Home Depot carries 153 Wiha products, including gear like insulated multibit screwdrivers, Allen keys, nut drivers, and a mini ratchet set similar to the Icon set from Harbor Freight, which became the subject of a meme. Home Depot's depth of Wiha equipment isn't anything to scoff at, and buyers seeking professional-grade gear for safety-focused electrical installations and other tasks that demand upgraded performance might consider browsing the Wiha product line. Of course, tools of this caliber often come with a price bump, and Wiha is certainly a brand that's a bit on the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to the wallet.

Powermatic is a professional-grade workshop brand that makes heavy-duty woodworking equipment. Some of its primary offerings are planers, jointers, and other gear like drill presses. None of these pieces of equipment will come at a discount, so Powermatic isn't a tool brand that beginner woodworkers or renovators are likely to consider. With that being said, it can act as a quality option for those ready to advance their skills and shop capabilities. Lathes, sanders, and dust filtration systems are also featured within the Powermatic catalog, making this a comprehensive toolmaker that can serve numerous purposes for a woodworker looking to round out their workshop.

Home Depot carries over 100 Powermatic products, with the cheapest being its mobile base for cabinet-style power tools ($148). The outlet carries replacement jointer knives, lathe stands, lighting solutions, and other accessories, including a microjig clamp table, air filtration components, and, of course, its full-sized workshop units. These include the brand's WB-43 belt sander (listed for a whopping $30,000), and power planers, bandsaws, and a panel saw.

The Swanson Tool Company makes layout and measurement tools. The brand has been in business since 1925, offering levels, marking tools, straight edges, and, of course, it's classic forged aluminum speed squares. The speed square is among some of the most underrated home improvement tools, and many users reach for a Swanson model when they do use one. The combination of cost-effectiveness and precision functionality makes Swanson squares a solid choice. The standard model, a seven-inch square, is available at Home Depot for $16, with a speed clip included.

In addition to its squares, Home Depot carries a range of other tools, including magnetic and lighted torpedo levels, and marking equipment like an AlwaysSharp carpenter pencil (and standard carpenter pencils, too) and a Proscribe tape measure that offers both measurement capabilities and the option to mark your workpiece seamlessly in one action. The brand's replacement tips for its AlwaysSharp range come in a few different color choices, as well, giving renovators the ability to mark up their cuts in different colors for greater visibility and accuracy across the team.

Among tool brands that frequently fly under the radar, Ingersoll Rand is a well-kept secret, not for any reason other than the tool category it falls within, however. The brand offers pneumatic tools and the air compressors that power them. Home Depot carries 75 Ingersoll Rand products on its eCommerce storefront, including both large and small compressor units to support DIY projects and much more demanding workshop needs alike.

The brand's impact wrenches, reciprocating saws, and die grinders are among the other options found within the Home Depot catalog. Frequently, air-powered tools are less expensive than their battery-operated or corded alternatives. Case in point, the Ingersoll Rand ⅜-Inch Air Ratchet is listed at Home Depot for $99. It offers 55 ft.-lbs. of torque. A Milwaukee alternative in a similar, compact size (the M12 Fuel solution) retails for $229. While it does offer more torque (70 ft.-lbs.), the price and weight difference alongside a looser maintenance schedule that tends to accompany air tools makes them the preferred mode of powered tool user for plenty of mechanics and others. They're also safe to use in wet and other challenging environments, giving air tools a definitive leg up over the competition, with Ingersoll Rand as a well-known brand in this space.

Home Depot's Paslode catalog includes 28 products. Those unfamiliar with roofing and other construction tasks might quickly overlook the brand given its niche focus. Combined with a relatively slim selection available at the outlet, it's entirely possible to walk through a Home Depot store and miss the bright orange tools and their related accessories. Paslode makes a range of pneumatic nail guns as well as cordless, battery-operated solutions that provide better mobility while retaining the quality experience that owners have come to expect from the brand. Paslode is a professional-grade toolmaker, and the pricing reflects that elevated status. Some of its nailers are priced at or above $500, making them an investment toward future workplace needs rather than a neat addition to the tool collection.

Paslode's nailers run the gamut from finish-nailing options to heavy-duty roofing nailers that can drive long fasteners into dense material. Framing nailers are also front and center, as are drum-style nail guns designed for fencing installations and siding placement. Paslode's catalog is built for speed and precision, allowing users to marry up key elements that underpin workplace productivity, but this comes at a cost that many DIYers won't want to consider, or frankly need to accept for their frequently more limited project scope. This feature relegates Paslode to a niche tool brand that most users won't have noticed in their travels through Home Depot or elsewhere.

The Vaughan lineup includes some seriously heavy hitters. Vaughan makes hammers, and the brand is owned by Marshalltown, another name that prosumers may not be all that familiar with. Marshalltown's trowels are among some of the most expensive on the market, and they're built for pros who will reach for the gear on a daily basis. Vaughan is underpinned by a similar story, but the brand is a bit more approachable for those working on a smaller, consumer-style budget. For instance, Vaughan's 19 oz. California Framer Hammer is available at Home Depot for $27. Pros who use Vaughan tools note that these units are built for a lifetime of support, and that goes for numerous other tools in its wider catalog, too, including things like its flat bar prying tools and mallets.

In total, Home Depot carries 45 Vaughan products ranging from mallets and ball peen hammers to framing hammers, prying tools, and even flush cut saws. The toolmaker has been a key solution for budget-conscious professionals for many years, with the brand's roots dating back to 1869.